HPV Vaccine Gardasil Voluntarily Recalled Due To Glass Shards In Some Vials

Merck announced a voluntary recall of one lot its vaccine Gardasil, one of two vaccines approved to protect against cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the company has asked offices and clinics that received lot number J007354 to return the vaccines because a small number of the vials may contain glass particles. The vials were distributed to facilities between Aug. 20 and Oct. 9.

A total of 743,360 vials are included in the recall, but only about 10 may contain the shards, Merck estimated, which are small enough to go through a needle. The glass particles may have entered the vaccine when something broke during the manufacturing process.